Ultimate Trousers

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing yet another new sewing project today. I mentioned this make here a few weeks ago and it’s taken me all this time to get my photos ready for sharing. This time, the project is a pair of trousers using the Sew OVer  It : Ultimate Trousers Pattern. You will also notice another LB Pullover in grey cotton. This is my third (and I’m not done yet !).

           

          

The trousers are made from a polyester crepe in a black and white stripe. The fabric was something which arrived as part of a budget batch purchase. The point of my purchase was another fabric altogether and bought for a specific project (yet to be started). I didn’t know the black and white fabric was coming and when I saw it, I didn’t think I could use it ? However, the more I looked at it, the more I liked the fabric and knew exactly what I wanted to make.

Im thrilled with the trousers. They fit well, I needed to do a pattern adjustment as I’m in between sizes. The waist is one size and the hips almost another. However, this was straightforward, so no problems there. I don’t like very tight, fitted clothing and the great advantage of making a garment is the fact that I can have something which fits but still has the amount of ease that I like. The fabric also has a little bit of stretch.

I wore the trousers yesterday and they are super comfortable. The trousers are fitted with darts and an invisible zip, no waistband. I love this pattern.  Waistbands are not my thing and these trousers are perfect. I’ve chosen to make the trousers cropped, just above the ankle. I did have concerns about what footwear would work with my trousers but I’ve  tried ankle boots and heels and I’m happy with both.

I will definitely be making more of these trousers. I can definitely see a denim pair and a few cotton pairs for Summer.

Thanks for calling in today.

Messing around with clay

Hi Everyone 

I had a lovely couple of hours, yesterday, playing with polymer clay. It’s quite some time since I made the time to play with clay. Here are a few images of the results.

                

I was (partly) preparing beads for a little bracelet project. Check out the project details here. The beads on the top left photo are now ready for making the bracelet.

However, I also managed to distract myself and developed some more beads with new (to me) lovely colour combinations. I especially like the bead, bottom left, with a Baby Blue outer layer. I love the combination of the blue  with green and yellow. I have a bit of an obsession with yellow/mustard at the moment. I’m not totally sure about what I will do with my new beads yet ? I think, I’m going for a simple elastic bracelet. I would like the beads to be central to any bracelet and free from the need for a clasp and complicated threading. I’d like the bead colours to ‘shine’.

I’ve also had some thoughts about using my new beads as inspiration for dying a skein of yarn. I would love to knit a simple sweater using the colours of my new favourite bead (bottom left image in my photo story). It’s not on my to do list but I think it will be added today ! I’ll keep you posted of any developments.

Thanks for calling in today.

Lingerie Sewing

Hi Everyone 

My lingerie sewing moves on to my next bra. This is the second bra in my lingerie making list. Read back here for details of the first Make. My lingerie kit has a pattern with four different bra options, I started with number 3 and my new design is number 1 and a much more simple design. I wonder why I started at number 3 ? I have lots of the kit fabric - a patterned scuba, so the new version is quite similar in appearance. 

I’ve sewn and lined the main parts of the bra and it’s time to add the various different elastic trims. 

               

I’m using a single colour for all the elastic parts of the bra (my first bra used a mixture of coloured elastics) and I’m hoping I can improve on my sewing this time. My first bra is OK but I think, I’ve learned lots about how to attach elastic and this time the stitching will be ‘spot on’.
I’ve also slightly changed the profile of the bra cups. Bra number 1 was a little too big at the underarm sides and a little short at the front. Hopefully, my adjustments will give me a better fit. I can wear the first bra but it’s not a perfect fit. This time, I think the fit will be better.
The design for bra no.2 is simple and I like that. I’m much more confident about the construction and I completed the first part in about 20 mins. The first bra took me about a week !

Thanks for calling in today.

Button Hole Dilemma

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing the results of my mustard pleated cord skirt today. The main part of the skirt has been completed for a week or so but I’ve had a huge dilemma with the waistband closure plan. The skirt is simple in construction and relies on some kind of hook or button closure on each side of the skirt waistband. A pocket is formed on each side, when the skirt is closed. It’s a great design idea. 

However, I couldn’t decide on the best way to close my skirt. Initial attempts to form button holes caused a few problems. I was struggling to get the waistband under the foot of my sewing machine and as a result, the actual stitches looked very messy. I also tested a hook and bar clasp but it didn’t quite give the fit I wanted.

I practiced lots of button holes on scrap fabric, quite a few on the machine and several by hand. Eventually, I went for the machine approach.

                   

I used a contrasting thread with my practice holes to highlight where the problems occurred. Most of the issues were caused by needing to go through at least four layers of quite thick fabric. I was also very apprehensive about the button hole placement. If I didn’t get the button holes exactly in the right place, my skirt waistband would not fit and the pockets wouldn’t lie in the right place. The whole skirt design depends, totally, on the precision of the button position ! 

                 
Finally, after lots of procrastination, the button holes are done and the buttons are stitched in place. The skirt is now complete. I’ll share a few additional photos tomorrow showing more details of the completed item.

Thanks for calling in today. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Petite Pegs and Teeny Beanie

Hi Everyone 

I managed to finish my baby gift sewing from yesterday. The pattern, from Patterns for Pirates, was a dream to use. The instructions are simple but good and everything about the process is delightful. Making such tiny garments is very quick and because the construction is simple, the whole thing came together in an hour or so.

              

Initially, my plan was to make one set of trousers and a hat, for some reason, I had cut out part of a second hat ?  I think, I’d mistaken a pattern piece for part of the single Knotted hat design. My first plan was the Knotted hat but I’d also cut part of the Bear Ears hat. I simply had to complete the Bear Ears and now I’m thinking, I need another pair of Pegs ! I do have a need for second baby gift soon, so that makes sense. The fabric is lovely and soft and the final garments are very cute. I particularly enjoyed making my gifts. I would highly recommend the patterns and the idea for any baby gift.

One tiny issue to report - a problem with my Overlocker machine ! I think, it was a problem (initially) from a broken thread and the tension of that  thread. I re threaded the thread in question, several times. Then, each of the threads, one by one. Each time, I assumed I’d threaded it correctly. However, I managed to waste about an hour messing around. In the end, I started from scratch, re-threaded the whole machine and all was well.

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with more Making stories.